The littlest Manet

So my mom says to me one night while talking about all this and says" you know your the Manet of the visually impaired art wold!"We both laugh but she seriously couldn't have hit it more on the head at that time.

Even if you don't know much about art  history you may have very well seen or heard of Manet.He was the rebel of the impressionist movement, painting naked woman in position like Greek goddess' and naked woman on lunch outings with sophisticated business men.Shocking at the time, so shocking that a some of the Salons he wasn't invited.His colors edgy subject matter edgy but he didn't care he painted what he wanted from his perspective of France ans society at the time and i love him for it.


I decided  to enter my first real art show about 2002 after an eye opening long conversation with my mentor Judy Jasek and great nudge from friend Britney.it all started great i had very bright work i was just getting my feet wet not really defined my style but i new i loved faces, eyes and portraiture. I submitted 6 paintings to a we shall cal lit a show of my peers with a large organization who helped blind and visually impaired in the city.I submitted two full body paintings, and one large abstract painting, and one fun one as a filler.the nudes were denied, the large abstract was chosen an the last piece that was merely a joke filler that me and my friend like was picked. That should've been my sign that piece was by far not very skilled or very good but i guess it was creative.

The piece chosen was "perfect chaos", (the original). A fun abstract layered in white washes and profile faces topped with pollack style black wipes of paint to create a fun illusion of depth from an artist who couldn't see depth.Both pieces, sold it was exciting.Only my good friend was able to attend that show, i laughed with my peers and realized listening to people experience my pieces that i needed to continue invoking these emotions through my art i loved it.

as i continued to grow i did a series on glass called "study in humanity."

stunning monochromatic  pieces on glass two sided, all painted to show and invoke  basic human emotion. They refused my glass, they refused my nudes.After paying them $30 to submit all 6 pieces they refused them all.Many friends of course piled on the sight after to see what was chosen, needless to say they were very upset, i let it go disappointed but figured they were just being bias.the next year i went back more abstract thinking that's what they wanted, but enjoying the nude female form as art, again took $30 from me and denied all 6 pieces of my now not appropriate sizes and materials work. I was working o more glass and recycled materials to make junk into art, oh no that combined with nudes i was rejected awfully quickly.

after the passing of my mentor and a few year hiatus with this show i had decided to try again. I had just started working on the double negative serous in black and white the one I'm still doing now found my niche sort of speak and figured since my art was made to be viewed by those blind-ish peers that they might love it.

Well i guess i should stop painting nudes because again i was informed that they were all refused and not appropriate for the show. "they said partings are passe " one woman from the organization told me.For being passe they sure did choose a lot and none nudes,...

I found out from another person i knew there that well over a few hundred people submitted paying up to $30 a person and they choose about 12.not only did they not like Lil Manet here but they also took alot of money from artists with a disability.I attended there board meeting with friend Britney close at hand both spoke out about our rage of them pilfering money especially after the organization was discussing there yearly trip for the members and how much money they needed for it.

With all that being said they took the wind out of my sails.I really thought if i couldn't be accepted from my own peer group then who could?

then more acceptance came from the sighted friends, gallery owners,, word of mouth.I felt more confident. Then i got word from some who knew about the art show and they told me " the nudes are risky, they cant be so big, they don like big or on anything other then canvas, and frankly you should play up your eye problems more on canvas"

"WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I was so insulted, outraged, and truly sad.I don't want someone to use my disability to make money or make only what they can sell for profit, i wanted to create art.

This is when my mom dubbed me my nickname, "the Blind Manet"

I have since done an amazing show with the San Fransisco lighthouse for the blind.
 The piece choosen was "the bathing Party" the one at the header of this blog. Apiece done in the style of my Favorite artists Ruben's and Renoirs Bathers' series'. I couldn't travel but participate from afar. It was  truly moving experience to know that they accepted my work, they embraced its difference. The show was extended and hung in the San Fransisco city hall, I keep my artist bio covered in braille as a way to remember the show.

As i finish my touchable series i have thought about applying to that show again the one that refused and rejected. I'm going to post the pieces up here when I'm done. Its my last cchance to show with them before i move this summer, I am apprehensive, but whether or not they keep my money and reject me i just want to try one more time to be able to show in the city i love that I've grown up in my whole life,

I only hope Lil Manet can show in one more salon with her peers,....

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